Program Goals
The program will:

• prepare athletic training students for the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification Exam by seeing that each student meets the standards for certification and is able to master entry-level tasks as defined by the NATABOC competencies.
• develop professional athletic trainers that abide by high professional and personal ethical standards, which will contribute in a positive manner to the continued development of the profession of athletic training.
• provide a balanced curriculum in business management, general education, sciences, and athletic training to give the student a thorough knowledge base in the classroom and prepare the student for a variety of real world settings.
• develop professionals who value education and recognize the importance of lifelong learning through participating in professional research, continuing education activities, and involvement in professional memberships and organizations.
• provide each student experience in a variety of employment opportunities in athletic training clinicals through cooperative alliances with local clinical, collegiate, and high school settings.
• measure key student learning outcomes continuously, and identify and implement opportunities for improvement.
• give each student the opportunity to take and pass the NATABOC examination through mock NATABOC examinations, BOC Self Assessment, and through clinical experiences and education.

Athletic Training Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the program will:

• demonstrate knowledge of the history and development of athletic training as a career, basic prevention and care of athletic injuries and illnesses, foundations of rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, and nutrition.
• explain and manually demonstrate proper taping and wrapping techniques of upper and lower extremities.
• explain and manually demonstrate an athletic injury evaluation of the lower extremity using Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan (SOAP).
• explain and manually demonstrate an athletic injury evaluation of the upper extremity using SOAP.
• explain and manually demonstrate an athletic injury evaluation of the head, neck and spine using SOAP.
• demonstrate knowledge in the use of modalities such as ultrasound and muscle stimulation, cold/warm therapy, hydrotherapy, hydrocollator and cold packs, including the indications and contraindications of each.

Link Between ATEP Goals and NAU Mission

The National American University Mission and Purposes mentions providing quality career and professional undergraduate programs to students. The university’s athletic training program goals support a quality learning environment through cooperative alliances with local orthopedic clinics and educational institutions that offer supervised clinical experience in a variety of sports.

These experiences offer the student:

• knowledge and skills in working with a variety of athletic injuries,
• laboratory exercises which include oral practical demonstration of knowledge,
• research and
• lecture-based classroom settings.

The athletic training program seeks to prepare the student to master entry-level standards set forth by the National Athletic Trainers Association competencies which is demonstrated by successful completion of the NATA-BOC exam.

The university’s Mission and Purposes encourages students to develop ethical values and behaviors. The university’s athletic training program also assists students in developing professional ethical standards by incorporating the National Athletic Trainers Association Code of Ethics throughout the curriculum.

In addition, the university emphasizes student involvement in professional services and provides for new technologies and practices. The athletic training program encourages students to seek involvement in professional memberships such as state, district, and national associations and attend meetings that provide the latest professional research in athletic training practices and technologies which students view first hand.

ATEP Faculty:

Josh Ellis, MSEd, ATC, CSCS
ATEP Program Director
Office Phone: 605-394-4860
jellis@national.edu

Jennifer Linton, ATC
ATEP Clinical Coordinator
Office Phone: 605-394-5085
jlinton@national.edu